Uluru…

…The Avoidance of Sameness

As well as being another name for “Ayres Rock”, Uluru is an award winning Australian restaurant situated close to the cathedral area in Armagh City.  On Saturday night, Caroline and I paid another visit to this little gem.  We have been a number of times, both for lunch and for the much talked about tasting event in April!

We had originally booked for Saturday 22^nd to celebrate our 7^th wedding anniversary, but had to reschedule until Saturday 29^th.

On arrival, we were greeted and shown to our seats where we were politely asked if we would like a drink.  Caroline opted for a soda water and lime and after a quick browse of the drinks menu I couldn’t help being drawn to a “Belfast Blonde” from College Green Brewery, Belfast.  Delicious.

Dean and his team had left a little card on the table.  Nice little touch.  Thanks.

We then had to make some decisions from the short but varied menu and the specials menu.

Shortly after, we were given a board of delicious freshly baked warm breads accompanied by butter, tapenade and a red pepper salsa.  The bread was wonderfully soft and went perfectly with the afore mentioned delights.

Meanwhile, our chosen wine arrived at the table,  Heartland Sticleback 2008.  We first tasted this fantastic wine at Uluru’s tasting evening and it was delicious.  It hasn’t changed one bit.  Perfect choice.

Dean (Head Chef & Proprietor) arrived at the table with a delicious treat of Soft Boiled Quails Egg coated in Japanese Breadcrumbs, on Duck Toast and Jerusalem Artichoke Veloute.  It was fantastic.  Thanks Dean.

We waited a short while until our respective starters arrived.  Caroline opted for the Half Baked Lobster with a Seafood Bisque and I couldn’t resist the Crispy Pork Belly with Asian Veg and a Sweet & Sour Sauce.  Caroline absolutely loved her lobster.  The flavours were fantastic and the lobster was incredibly fresh.  Need I mention whether I enjoyed mine or not?

As we chatted and allowed the starters to fall in to place we were happy to soak up the buzz that obviously made Uluru the place to be on a Saturday night.  It was buzzing, with no tables to spare at 8pm.  The way any good restaurant should be in my opinion.

Then arrived the main course.  Caroline went for the Rack of Lamb on a Creamy Mash and Piccalilli Vegetables.  I chose the Oven Roasted Breast of Pheasant with Mash and Crispy Bacon, Honey Glazed Sprouts and Pearl Onions.  Having ate game for most of my growing up at home I just couldn’t resist the pheasant and I certainly wasn’t disappointed.  Caroline thoroughly enjoyed the tender and succulent pieces of lamb.  The creamy mash was beautifully complimented by the zing of the piccalilli vegetables.

“Would you like to see the dessert menu?”.  That’s like asking a cat if it would like a saucer of milk!  The Orange and Clove Crème Brûlée was the obvious choice for both of us!  We both have a bit of a weak spot Crème Brûlée.  As every proper (in my humble opinion) Crème Brûlée should be, the caramelised sugar top didn’t require a pneumatic drill and the crème was perfectly smooth and sweet without being sickening.  YUM, YUM and YUM again.

All this yummy sweet stuff was easily washed down with a glass of Woodstock Botrytis.  Fantastic.

A meal wouldn’t be complete with a coffee.  We could both enjoy a fresh brew of the locally roasted coffee from Ristretto.  Perfect end to a perfect meal.

So, I think you can gather from this that Caroline and I both thoroughly enjoyed our evening at Uluru.  Thanks to Dean and the rest of his staff for helping us to have such a great evening.  We will be back soon.

All pictures taken with my iPhone!